What Happens in the Darkness
by kade32
Summary: Norman is accepted into a mysterious boarding school in Cornwall, England at the behest of his father. There, he meets new faces, new friends until he soon discovered something evil about the mansion. One-by-one, the students are being brutally killed. Norman will have to do everything in his power to uncover the mansion's dark secrets and escape while he still can.


**DISCLAIMER: I don't own ParaNorman, Coraline or any other source material used in this story. So I just recently had dream about this and it inspired me to write about it. So it basically mixes the elements of Down a Dark Hall, Cabin in the Woods and possibly the video game, Dead by Daylight.**

 **So sorry if I'm not focusing on other stories of mine, but just keep in mind that I have trouble coming up with what to put next in those stories, what the new chapters should involve. So I just add new stories or focus writing one story than the next before I can reach the unfinished ones and decide what to do. So please stop pressuring me, for God's sake.**

 **Anyway, here's the first chapter. This story will be horror-themed with child murder, gore, some minor profanity and a tad bit of sexual hints. I hope you enjoy it.**

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While the taxi cab drove down the dirt-covered road through the countryside of Cornwall, England, young Norman Babcock sat silently and watched the trees run by as the car moved. Norman was a boy from a rural small town in Massachusetts who had very special, if not strange, ability to communicate with ghosts all around. But the problem was that nobody else saw them but him, which only let everyone to believe that he was just some annoying weird kid with an active imagination or too many imaginary friends.

His father couldn't stand this "ghost-whispering" behavior any longer and decided to send him to a boarding school somewhere in the United Kingdom. That's where he was now, being escorted to his destination while thinking back to how it all came to this. Overhearing his parents' argument on the day before his departure.

 _"Perry, just think about this. This school isn't in our budget, we can't afford this."_

 _"Well, we'll just have to get creative. Start a garage sale or whatever goes."_

 _"How is Norman even going to adapt in a new place like that? What if there's people there he's not comfortable with?"_

 _"He'll just have to get used to it. He needs to start socializing with other people besides his dead grandmother or any other "ghost" friend of his. With other living people, I should say."_

Still fresh on his mind. Makes him frown just thinking about it. His mother told him to keep in touch with them; call or text them just to let them know how he's doing. His older sister, Courtney, probably won't miss him. Like his father, she's also annoyed with him yammering about his dead grandmother. His father was probably glad to have him out of the house and somewhere far away as some unknown person called the house, saying that they know a place for him. A place called the Trevorrow Boarding School for Troublesome Children.

He had never heard of such a place. It was never on an advertisement in the newspaper or anything like that. It seemed completely off the map. They were only informed about it over the phone and told how much to get him in.

"We're here, young man." The cabbie informed him, turning the boy's attention toward the road to see that they were approaching large gates, which opened for them, granting the new guests entry.

And as the cab drove right in, the gates themselves closed on their own as if they were being controlled by someone with a remote, but it looked to old to be controlled with modern technology. Norman watched as the cabbie drove down the dirt trail through a woodsy area until they got close enough to see a humungous, gothic, Victorian Era mansion in a large clearing. Of course, the entire establishment was archaic and decrepit, so it comes to no surprise that the building has been sitting there for decades.

It looked liked one of those old castles or even the prestigious college academies of medieval architecture. And yet, the foundation looked dark and gloomy with greyish colors in an Addams Family-esque fashion, as if it were haunted. Norman was surprised to see that this was the school he will be attending. He almost felt like Harry Potter arriving at Hogwarts.

"Is this the place?" asked Norman.

"Aye, Northfolk Hall." nodded the cabbie in response. "One of the oldest mansions in all of England and basically the largest one there is. About a thousand rooms and plenty of hallways to go around. Been in the Trevorrow family for many years since the Victorian age."

"It...really is the biggest mansion I've ever seen." Norman commented while gazing upon the ancient estate, basking in it's glory.

"Trust me, mate. You'll never find a mansion like this one anywhere else in England." The cabbie reminded him. "May I ask what is your reason for coming here?"

"My parents want to put me in a school where I can get in touch with a better crowd or something like that." answered Norman gently.

"Well, I'm not sure why they picked this place, but who am I to judge?" replied the cabbie.

Driving around the water fountain, the cab finally came to a stop, parking right in the very front of the estate. Norman hopped out of the cab, grabbed his luggage out of the truck and stood before the mansion to get a closer view of the new school he was placed in. It certainly wasn't new, but it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

"You sure you'll be okay here?" asked cabbie with a hint of concern for the boy. "There have been strange happenings in this very house."

"If my parents want me to try it, I guess I don't have a choice." Norman replied.

"Fair enough. Good luck!"

And with that, the cab drove off out of sight, leaving Norman to take a deep exhale before scaling the steps up to the front door. There was no doorbell, so he tried knocking. Each knocked echoed from the inside. Then Norman waited for about two minutes, maybe five before the door was finally answered by an elderly gentleman in a spiffy uniform and smooth grey hair.

"Norman Babcock, I presume?" asked the man in a posh English accent.

"That's me."

"Please come in." The gentleman stepped aside, allowing Norman pass through into the foyer of the mansion which had a huge staircase that two extra stairs on both sides, leading to the second floor as well as a crystal chandelier above his head. Not only that, but there were candles hanging on some of the walls. Yes, indeed. It was like a huge luxurious castle on the inside. The residents must be the richest family in the world, because they certainly lived like royals. Gods, even. Norman could get used to this place. But before he could explore the joint, there was a middle-aged woman coming down the steps, adorned in a long black dress and jewelry. She sent a welcoming smile to Norman when she noticed him.

"Ah, Norman. So glad you could finally arrive." She spoke as she stood at the foot of the steps to get a look at him. "I trust your journey here was eventful?"

"Well, it was a long and boring flight across the Atlantic Ocean, but I think I'll live." Norman answered, trying not to embarrass himself in front of a woman of such gracefulness and charisma.

The woman simply chuckled and said, "So glad to hear it. Welcome to Northfolk Hall. I am the headmistress here at this school, Vyvyan Trevorrow. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

She held out her hand to him for a friendly handshake, which he hesitantly accepted.

"And this is our butler, Bertrand."

"Charmed." Bertrand greeted politely, giving a slight bow.

"Walk with me, Norman." Vyvyan gestured for him to follow her as she began to trudge down a hallway with her high-heels padding against the polished floor. "As you probably figured out, the Northfolk Hall has been in Trevorrow family since Queen Victoria ascended the throne. It's been passed down from generation to generation. This place stood proud and tall since she was first designed in 1845. It barely managed to survive on it's own come the ages, but we've managed to renovate it every now and then to bring her to her former glory. So we turned this old place into a school for troubled youths like yourself who have issues in the outside world. But here, we make sure that they are not alone in the world. Me and my husband look after the children as if they were our very own. But unfortunately, he cannot be with us at the moment for he is in his study. Always the busy man, he is. But he'll be joining us for supper very shortly."

As they walked, Norman got more of a view of the hall they were going through, the paintings decorating the walls and the self-portraits. There was even a random door there that looked overtaken with age as the wood on it seemed to be all beaten up and scratched. Curious, Norman wandered over to get just a little peek inside just to see what it looks like on the inside. But before he could even reach the knob, Vyvyan quickly got in front of him, blocking the door and the knob from his view to give him a stern glance and a little word of advice.

"That goes down into the cellar, which is off-limits." She told him strictly. "So I must strongly advise you not to go down there under any circumstances. It is imperative that you and the rest of children avoid this at all costs. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Norman muttered, hoping that he hadn't her mad him angry at him on his first day here. They continued down the hallway where Vyvyan introduced him to several of the mansion's room; the dining room, the kitchen, the chapel in the west wing of the house (which, according to Vyvyan, is where they uphold weddings for young couples outside their home and to give a little religious touch to their estate), there was the classroom where he and the other students will be for their studies and the old nursery.

"This is where our little girl, Emblyn, used to sleep." Vyvyan explained before her expression morphed into a somber frown. "Until that dreadful day when fate claimed her life."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Norman said sympathetically, although on the inside, he was wondering if he could find her ghost somewhere around here.

"Yes. Shall we proceed?" asked Vyvyan.

Outside, there was the family cemetery housing the deceased bodies of past family relatives who have moved on to the next life and even some guests who came to the mansion. Norman looked around to see the ghosts the people buried here, but for his father's sake, he choose to just ignore them. Vyvyan explained to him that there wasn't any internet service here, so calling or texting or even surfing the net on his phone will be problematic anywhere else besides their rooms. And upstairs on the second floor, she showed them the living quarters for the children, including his own.

"So where are the other students?" asked Norman.

"In their quarters, of course." Vyvyan answered with a soft giggle. "You'll be sleeping in here with Miss Jones."

Vyvyan opened up the door to the bedroom to reveal there were two beds and window with a view of the cemetery outside. There was a girl sitting on the bed on the right, roughly around the same age as Norman with short blue hair with a dragonfly barrette. She was just relaxing on her bed, reading her magazine while listening to her music with her headphones. But when she noticed Vyvyan enter with a boy she never recognized, she paused her music and took her headphones off.

"Madame Trevorrow." She greeted with her best polite voice.

"Coraline, I'd like you to meet our new student, Norman Babcock." Vivian introduced Norman to the girl. "He'll be sleeping in here with you. Norman, meet Coraline Jones, your new roommate."

"Roommate?" repeated Coraline with blunt shock. "Uh, that's fine, I think I'll be alright on my own."

"Well, Norman has to sleep somewhere and your room has the only bed left available." explained Vyvyan.

"Uh, sure." Coraline shrugged, feeling a little unsure about sharing her room with a boy, especially one she's never even met. Norman, on the other hand, wasn't expecting to be rooming with a girl. Vyvyan gave Norman a gentle, albeit reassuring push further into the room before starting for the door.

"Now do make yourself at home, Norman. I'll leave you two alone to get acquainted with each other." She replied. "Supper will ready in an hour so be ready."

And with that being said, she departed the room, leaving Norman alone in the room with Coraline. The uncomfortable silence in the room was thick and still as the two preteen eyeballed each other, unable to speak, unable to think of what to say first.

"So you're the new kid, huh?" Coraline asked, breaking the ice.

"Yeah, that's me." Norman nodded, placing his suitcase on the bed to start unpacking. Coraline watched as he placed his zombie action-figures on the nightstand as well as his tombstone alarm clock. She raised her eyebrows with sudden interest.

"I see you're a fan of zombies." replied Coraline, coming over to observe one of his action-figures.

"Yeah, I like anything associated with the dead." said Norman, taking his toy back from her. "I got like a ton of zombie or scary movie posters in my room back home."

"I guess I'm bit of a horror junkie myself if you catch my drift." expressed Coraline sitting down on her bed as she kept her eyes on him. "Have you ever seen _Night of the Living Dead_?"

"I've watched a lot of horror movies, especially the ones with zombies in them. I'm still trying to watch the entire _Halloween_ series. Right now, I'm on the third movie." Norman explained, putting his suitcase away, full of his clothes, before resting on his bed to stare at the ceiling.

"Eugh." Coraline cringed. "That one really sucks. That's the only movie without Michael Myers. The premise to that is weak and unoriginal."

"That one thing we can agree on." Norman somewhat chuckled.

"So where are you from?" asked Coraline.

"I'm from a town called Blithe Hollow in Massachusetts." answered Norman, turning to look at her.

"Really? That's the place where the Salem witch trials happened, right?" asked Coraline with bigger interest and curiosity.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." sighed Norman, rolling his eyes. "My town has had a dark history in the past concerning witch hunts and all that. In fact, everything in the town is witch-themed. Everywhere you look, you'll see ugly green women in pointy hats and riding broom sticks. It's insane."

"Jeez." Coraline spoke with disbelief and almost amusement. "Sounds like they're just commercializing the stereotypes of witches based on the town's history."

"They just tend to overdo it." said Norman. "So what about you?"

"Well, me and my parents had moved to a crappy place in Oregon from Michigan." started Coraline, groaning with aggravation. "My parents had been hired to write stuff about plants and they just completely ignore me. The Pink Palace Apartments. There's just nothing special about. The neighbors, the dead garden, that annoying stalker kid named Wybie."

"'Wybie'?" repeated Norman, lifting an eyebrow. "What kind of name is that?"

"That's exactly what I thought." Coraline agreed with a small laugh. "It's short for 'Wyborne'. I like to call him 'Why-were-you-born'. Anyway, I soon discovered this strange door in the wall."

"A door?"

"Yeah, but that's not important right now." She waved off, not feeling the nerve to discuss it. "So my parents thought I needed to be in a school where people can take me seriously, not that they can at all. Why are you here?"

"Funny you should ask, because I don't wanna tell." Norman said nonchalantly, staring back at the ceiling.

"What? Come on, tell me." Coraline persisted.

"If I did, you'd call me crazy, too. Ask anyone in my town." He refused.

"Please?" She asked again. This time, you used that same puppy dog eyes she would use on her mother. This tested Norman's sympathies so he has no choice but to give in.

"Fine." He sighed. "I can see and talk to ghosts."

"Really?" Coraline chimed with a smile. "That's pretty awesome."

"Not falling for it."

"I'm serious!" She exclaimed, trying to convince him that she wasn't trying to make fun of him in any way. "I've actually met a couple of ghosts in the past."

By then, there came a knock on the door, interrupting Norman right as he opened his mouth to say something back. They both stared at the door, wondering who it could be.

"Uh, come in?" called Coraline.

In responce, the door slowly opened, emitting a loud and steady creak in the process and the person at the door revealed himself as Bertrand, who stepped inside, looking dignified and obedient like any other butler in a wealthy mansion such as this.

"Supper is ready." The loyal butler spoke. "Master and Mistress Trevorrow are expecting you and the other children down in the dining room."

"Okay." Norman responded.

He got up from his bed and both he and Coraline followed Bertrand out of their room and down the hallway in the direction of where supper was going to be withheld.

"So how many kids are here in this place?" asked Norman out of curiosity.

"There are about 13 of us and since that you're here, it's now 14, give or take." answered Coraline. "I know this place isn't much, but I think you'll be okay here."

"I hope so." shrugged Norman, not so sure to believe that.

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 **And that'll be the first chapter. So Norman has arrived in this ancient, archaic, Victorian Era maze of a mansion as a boarding school. He doesn't know it, but there is something quite unfamiliar about this place and the people running it. What could it be? Find out in future chapters.**


End file.
